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image from Clipart Library |
Of course what I really mean is we've had a couple of rather windy days, albeit with blue skies and plenty of sunshine 😉 Nevertheless, it's been lovely to get out in the garden again even if the thought of all the work to be done is a tad disheartening!
You may recall that last year I moved the strawberries into a new bed. I'm happy to report that they've come through the winter unscathed and are all starting to put out lovely new green leaves 😊 We didn't get any further with the bed then, but Adrian got the frame for the netting built last week, using leftover poles from frames that had been dismantled. On Tuesday we got the plastic mesh ~ also salvaged from old dismantled frames ~ attached to the frames. Never let it be said that we don't try to re-use what we already have LOL
To be fair we haven't noticed any of the local feline population trying to use this bed as a new loo, but we weren't going to take any risks as the buggers do poop in the garden borders from time-to-time 😒 I'll add a finer mesh cover later in the year, when the strawberries start to ripen up, to keep the birds at bay.
Another job that Adrian got done was to alter how the frames are attached to the beds. Originally he'd used plumbing pipe clips which were okay to start with, but gradually they got misshapen with use. We had a good think about it and finally thought of attaching short lengths of plastic pipe to the sides of the beds for the poles of the frames to slide into. It's worked out very well, and I think it looks much neater too.
I mentioned last week that the rhubarb was starting to come through. Goliath is really getting into its stride, and I may have to start picking some of the stalks soon! Fulton's Strawberry Surprise (which I moved from the back garden last year), in the middle of the bed, is also coming through more strongly now.
I was a little concerned about the non-appearance of Timperley Early but ~ ta daa! ~ it's finally put in an appearance 😄
I've been a little disappointed with the seasonal bedding plants I put in last autumn as I lost a lot of plants over winter. Still, this little pot of pansies (Matrix Mix Coastal Sunrise) has managed to cope with the weather and is starting to look very pretty. As you can see, the compost seems to have dropped somewhat in this pot, so perhaps the fact that the little plants are lower in the pot has helped to protect them as there isn't much shelter from the wind in the kitchen garden! I have some in the planter on the kitchen windowsill which have also come through the winter unscathed, although it's much more sheltered in the kitchen courtyard area which has probably helped.
As you can see, the bulbs I planted for cutting are coming through very nicely. The only trouble is I keep forgetting to actually get out there and cut them for the house whilst they are still in bud! Oh well, I know the idea works so I'll try again next year 😉
And finally, despite that chilly breeze yesterday afternoon, the temperature in the greenhouse got up to 30℃ ~ very cosy 😊
It's another lovely sunny day today, so I'm going to make the most of it and get back outside again ~ there's certainly no lack of stuff to get done!